- Graphic Novels
- Ages 6–10
- Comedy
Bunny vs Monkey: The Impossible Pig
Book 8 of 11 in Bunny vs MonkeyView the full series
A Pig-centred eighth collection that turns a disappearance into a gloriously silly forest mystery. It gives a beloved side character more focus while keeping the comic chaos extremely accessible.
- Best for6–10
- FormatGraphic
- Length240 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr55 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Absurdist
- Irreverent
- Exciting
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The woods are in uproar because Pig has vanished. Nobody knows what has happened to him, and the appearance of a familiar-looking bearded figure sitting on a cloud only makes everything stranger. The Impossible Pig gives the Bunny vs Monkey cast a slightly more mystery-shaped problem than usual, but the real engine remains Jamie Smart's high-speed comic silliness: Chaos-a-trons, custard bodysuits, vats of goop, shouting, overreaction and page after page of visual jokes. Pig's disappearance creates a stronger through-line than some earlier collections, which may help readers who like a little more story structure beneath the gags. It is still very much a Bunny vs Monkey book, though: loud, ridiculous, friendly, anarchic and particularly good for children who want full-colour comics that feel instantly rewarding rather than demanding.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 6–10
- Read aloud · 5–10
- Independent · 6–11
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Dog man fans
- Looshkin fans
- Phoenix comic readers
- Silly humour
- Visual readers
Avoid if
- Prefers calm books
- Needs realistic stories
- Dislikes shouting
- Needs low visual density
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Neurodiversity or learning differences
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Pure reading-for-pleasure fuel and a brilliant reluctant-reader hook — a forest comic kids race through, and a strong bridge into independent graphic-novel reading.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is Pig vanishing and being replaced by a reality-bending Impossible Pig who makes no sense at all. Bunny is upset by the lack of logic, Monkey is thrilled, and a seven-year-old reader gets the series' most cheerfully strange volume.
- Adventure and freedom
- Breaking the rules safely
- Friendship and belonging
- Having a nemesis
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The Bunny vs Monkey where Pig vanishes and a reality-bending substitute appears — Smart's most cheerfully strange volume. The disappearance mystery gives the book a stronger through-line than usual, which suits readers who want a tiny bit more story under the gags. Late-series; reads fine on its own.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Indie gem discovery
In the series
Bunny vs Monkey.
11 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Jamie Smart.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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